Central London Location

Small Class Sizes

Optional International Internships

Internationally Recognised Teaching

MA in Luxury Brand Management – starting Fall 2018

Traditionally, luxury has been the hallmark of civilizations – allowing only a select few to express their dreams and well being through consumption. Today the business of luxury involves offering a proliferation of premium mass-market branded goods and services – as a gateway to offering status-driven social currency to a wider cross section of individuals.

Because of this, luxury is big business. It is also clear that a brand is more than a logo – it is a meaning creator, language shaper and a game changer. These developments signal the need to investigate luxury and branding in a manner where there is both an art and a science to delivering a commercial strategic and competitive advantage.

The MA in Luxury Brand Management is designed to equip individuals, at any stage of their career, with the necessary scholarly and professional skills to develop a deep and critical understanding of luxury brand management, whilst preparing you for an uncertain and competitive future.

Drawing from the opinions of industry experts and recent research undertaken by our faculty, every effort has been made to create a masters degree that balances historical perspectives with emerging trends. As such, the programme takes a holistic approach to this growing field, and you will be exposed to concepts from business and management theory, alongside behavioural psychology, psychoanalysis, culture theory, anthropology and design. There is also a strong emphasis on understanding different consumption practices globally – linked to various cultures, sub-cultures, ethnicities, and nationalities.

Through the use of innovative assessments, where you will be required to produce industry reports, strategy documents, and video documentaries: you will be immersed in an interactive classroom experience, which also brings in visiting faculty from industry – with the aim of encouraging you to enhance your critical thinking, commercial skills, and entrepreneurial flair.

Why Study MA Luxury Brand Management at Richmond

Small group teaching

Dynamic, passionate, and highly qualified academic staff, who are experts in their field

Additional academic support, mentoring, and careers guidance

US accreditation

Influential and supportive alumni from across the globe

Luxury Brand Internship opportunities

Located in the attractive South Kensington Central London campus

Key Facts

Complete your MA in one year full-time (FT) or in two years part-time (PT).

Exposure to historical and emerging trends in the fields of Luxury and Branding from academics and industry experts.

Develop postgraduate level scholarly skills – taking an applied approach that is both relevant and attractive to industry.

The global growth in the consumption of luxury brands has led to a development in the field of marketing that considers the relationships between luxury brand value proposition, customer loyalty and high value service. Our programme is designed to take you beyond the basics of brand management to develop your specialist knowledge in aesthetics and the perception of luxury goods and services. You will carry out analyses of brands and sub-brands, customer behaviour and brand loyalty, along with the context of brand equity, value, and segmentation as it relates to engagement, participation and affinity enablement. You will learn how successful luxury brands owners interpret their market position and create strategies to develop their products or services further. In doing so, you will explore how luxury products and services evolve and develop as high value choice brands and transform into the “lived” experiences associated with lifestyles that are characterised by acquisition and ownership and strengthened brand affinity. You will also study issues relating to “future fashion” and how social and cultural trends contribute to the development of a collection and accumulative perceptions associated with lifestyle, consumption and enhanced client engagement.

MA Luxury Brand Management is suitable for recent business and marketing graduates seeking to pursue a career as a brand managers or for those who seek to develop or deepen their specialist knowledge of the luxury brand management sector and work in the fields of brand development, luxury brand marketing research, production, distribution, merchandising and consultancy. At Richmond, we combine the best practices of American and British postgraduate teaching and research. We offer access to a network of contacts to assist you in finding a luxury brand internship.

Programme Structure

The programme consists of 180 UK credits and 36 US Credits, including the internship and dissertation.

Programme structure

US Credits

UK Credits

FHEQ Level 7 (Total)

36

180

FALL SEMESTER

Course Title

LBM 701

Global History of Luxury

4

20

LBM 702

Strategic Brand Management

4

20

LBM 703

Consumer Culture Theory and Insight

4

20

SPRING SEMESTER

LBM 704

Advertising, Public Relations, and Sponsorship

4

20

LBM 705

Emerging and Future Industry Trends

4

20

plus one of the following:

4

20

Option in

LBM 706

Luxury Product and Service Design

Option in

LBM707

Entrepreneurship and Project Planning

Option in

LBM 708

Digital and Social Media Management

Option in

LBM 709

Management and Negotiation

Option in

APR 7120

Celebrities, Marketing and the Media

Option in

APR 7125

Fashion and Luxury Brands and the Media

SUMMER SEMESTER

plus either both of the following:

12

60

LBM 710

Internship (4cr)

LBM 711

Consultancy Project (8cr)

OR:

LBM 712

Dissertation (12cr)

Programme Information

Programme leader
Please contact the Admissions office if you wish to speak to the Programme Leader.

Awarding institution
Richmond, The American International University in London

Accredited
Middle States Commission of Higher Education (US )

Duration
One year full-time, September to September.
Two year part-time, September to September.

Location
Kensington Campus.
Additionally, off-site locations are used in London as part of the practical element of the programme.

Application deadline

Students who require a visa to study in the UK should apply by 1st July. UK or EU nationals should apply by 1st August.

Entry requirements
US Bachelors degree from an accredited institution, or UK first degree with minimum second class honours, or an overseas equivalent as determined by the University. Relevant work experience is welcomed and may on occasion be accepted in lieu of a first degree, but is not required.